City Supports Camera At Lights

May 3, 2000|By DAVID VOLZ Special to the Sun-Sentinel

OAKLAND PARK — The City Commission has adopted a resolution supporting the Red Light Safety Act of 2000, a move which would allow police departments in Broward and Palm Beach counties to develop pilot projects to determine if photographing cars running red lights would be an effective law enforcement technique.

The act is a bill that has passed three Florida House of Representatives committees but has yet to appear on the Florida Senate agenda.

"This would be a good thing for the citizens of Oakland Park," said Edward Overman, Oakland Park police chief. "A lot of accidents occur at intersections because people are trying to beat a red light. When a police officer investigates the accident, it is difficult to determine who actually violated the law. This law would allow us to write tickets for those who are going through red lights without an officer actually being there."

Under the act, a police agency would be able to set up a camera at an intersection. The camera would be activated by vehicles running red lights, according to Capt. Jeff Maslan of the Coral Springs Police Department. Maslan is conducting a study on the issue.

A picture would be taken of the rear of the car and its license plate, Maslan said. The picture would show the red traffic light and the time the violation occurred. The owner of the vehicle would then be sent a ticket for up to $100. No points would be assessed against the vehicle owner and the ticket could not be applied to insurance rates.

Failure to pay the ticket would result in the owner being unable to reregister his or her car, Maslan said.

According to figures compiled by the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, there has been an increase in the number of accidents, injuries and fatalities associated with intersections in the state. Statistics show that in 1995, there were 7,934 collisions and the number increased to 10,155 in 1998. There were 12,738 injuries associated with intersection crashes in 1995 while there were 14,810 injuries recorded in 1998. There were 128 intersection fatalities in 1995 and 137 fatalities in 1998.

"Without this bill, law enforcement agencies must place an officer at the intersection," Maslan said. "This limits the resources of a law enforcement agency. It also increases the level of risk to motorists, police officers and the violators."

Oakland Park Vice Mayor Caryl Stevens said she supports the act.

"There are too many traffic fatalities caused by people running red lights," she said. "Hopefully this legislation will reduce them."

Oakland Park City Attorney Russ White said the proposed legislation raises constitutional issues and might be difficult to enforce fairly.

"There would be the problem of misidentification," he said. "What if someone other than the owner of the car is driving? With a photo, how would we know who was really driving the car and running the red light?"